Gareth Southgate praises Harry Kane's England leadership at World Cup

By Siobhan McCall

Gareth Southgate says England captain Harry Kane proved he is a leader at the World Cup.

Southgate opted for the Tottenham striker as captain ahead of more experienced options such as Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and Chelsea's Gary Cahill.

Kane first captained England in their 2-2 draw with Scotland in June 2017 and is currently vice-captain at Spurs, behind goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

The England manager told Sky Sports News he was delighted with how Kane took to the role in Russia.

"I think he's done a fantastic job," Southgate said. "He's not really captained his club as such so to show the leadership that he did throughout the tournament for us, I was really pleased and really impressed."

His six goals, including a hat-trick in the 6-1 win against Panama, made him only the second English player to win the accolade. The other English winner, Gary Lineker, also scored six when he was top scorer at the 1986 World Cup.